Sinn Féin to meet NI policing board

Sinn Féin will hold its first meeting with the Northern Ireland Policing Board today, to discuss alleged collusion with loyalist…

Sinn Féin will hold its first meeting with the Northern Ireland Policing Board today, to discuss alleged collusion with loyalist paramilitaries.

Party President Gerry Adams will lead the group which will also raise the issue of plastic bullet deaths and the need to boost the number of republicans in the police force.

The step follows the árdfheis decision in January to accept policing arrangements once powersharing is restored on May 8th.

Sinn Féin will share power with the Democratic Unionists for the first time next month, with DUP leader Ian Paisley serving as first minister and Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness as deputy first minister.

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Members will also take positions on the Board as well as District Policing Partnerships, which scrutinise police performance across the province.

The delegation, which includes policing spokesman Alex Maskey, will meet Board chairman Sir Des Rea.

Republicans agreed to accept policing after receiving assurances about the role of MI5 in Northern Ireland as well as the powers of Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan to consider national security-related material.